Caring for your body

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Getting medical care after a sexual assault is important. If penetration happened during the assault, it's a good idea to get a doctor to check out any tears, cuts or other injuries. If you're worried about contraception you can get Emergency Contraception (such as the morning after pill) from a doctor. Best to get it within 72 hours. If you're worried about sexually transmitted infections (chlamydia, trichomoniasis or gonorrhea) you can get antibiotics from a doctor but make sure you ask about any side effects like nausea. You might also be offered a Hepatitis B vaccination. The chance of getting HIV through a single episode of sexual assault is likely to be low, but it may be worth checking out post exposure therapy (PEP) against HIV. A couple of weeks after an assault, get checked out for signs of any new infections and for infections involving the bladder or kidneys. Keep a lookout for any signs such as a bad smell, pus, discharge or pain.

There's a couple of ways you can go about getting the medical care you need. If you don't want to make a report to the police you can go to a local doctor or the emergency department of a hospital. If you don't have residency status you can get a check up at the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre without a Medicare card. If you do want to make a report to the Police then you need to contact the Police or the Victorian Sexual Assault Crisis Line and they will arrange a crisis care unit where a forensic medical officer will examine and treat you. If you're not sure whether you want to make a report to the Police and have a forensic medical examination then contact the Victorian Sexual Assault Crisis Line so that a counsellor/advocate can help you think about the options. Whatever you do, treat your body well for a couple of weeks after an assault. Pamper it!

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Disclaimer Copyright Updated: 10 Sep 2003